This invention relates to a garment hanger, and more particularly, to a garment hanger having a connecting element so that the hanger may be opened and closed at one end to receive and secure a garment.
Various types of garment hangers which can be opened and closed are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,817,621 to Harding shows a rod which fits into a circular notch in a corresponding arm and is pulled down into a locking position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,343,733 to Schmednecht shows a dowel-like projection on a hanger arm which can be fastened into a groove on a hanger rod to lock the device. Other patents, such as U.S. Pat. No. 3,042,275 to Wendorf and U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,228 to Bisk show more complicated devices for locking hanger arms.
Other hangers known in the art which accommodate folded garments are designed to grab a garment with clasps that lock onto to the ends of a garment, causing unwanted wrinkles and crimping of the garment. Further, the known hangers are too large to hang smaller sized garments, such as baby clothes and the like and are made from heavy materials such as wood and metal.
None of the known devices provide a smaller sized garment hanger made from lightweight material and having a simple connecting element which can be locked into place by pushing a protrusion on one arm through a receiving hole on another arm for a tight fit.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger which can be opened and locked closed by means of a connecting element consisting of a protrusion on one hanger arm which fits snugly into a receiving hole on a second hanger arm.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a garment hanger which is lightweight and small enough to accommodate smaller garments.
The foregoing object is achieved and the disadvantages of the known garment hanger designs are overcome by providing a garment hanger in accordance with the present invention. The garment hanger includes a neck portion; a suspension element extending upwardly from the neck portion; a top arm molded to the underside of the neck portion; a bottom arm molded to one end of the top arm and connectable to a second end of the top arm; and a connecting element consisting of a protrusion molded to and extending perpendicularly from the second end of the top arm, and a hole positioned on the bottom arm for receiving and securing the protrusion.
The protrusion is formed from two symmetrical half portions, each half portion including a top portion and a base portion, wherein the top portion has a larger diameter than the base portion. The two symmetrical half portions can be angled apart from or aligned parallel to each other. The protrusion can also be formed from a single piece instead of from two symmetrical half portions.
The hanger can be made from bendable plastic, such as polypropylene, polystyrene, resin or the like. The neck portion has an area of at least 0.5 inches squared so that it can accommodate a sticker, indicating, for example, the size or brand of a garment on the hanger. The top and bottom arms of the hanger can be between 4 and 10 inches long, depending on the size of garments to be placed on the hanger.